A book lover knows the value of books and how they have the potential to transport you to someplace that just captivates you in a way that you do not feel like facing reality again. One such book lover Sharalee Armitage Howard saved a 110-year-old tree by a wonderful transformation.
We all know that trees are valuable. They are not just a decoration for your front yard but they are the ones that help us breathe apart from all the nice things they provide. When loved and cared, they keep growing and can grow as old as 100 years. The 110-year-old huge tree in the front yard of Sharalee Armitage Howard is one such example of long-lived trees.
But when the trees get old, they tend to shred their branches and this can be an obstruction when the trees like Sharalee’s cottonwood tree drop branches on the sidewalk. The workers of the city of Coeur d’Alene in Idaho told her the sad news. She could not stand the thought of losing her beautiful tree and watch it being chopped off in front of her eyes.
She came up with a great idea to save that tree and at the same time follow her passion for books. We should definitely mention here that she has worked as a librarian, artist and a bookbinder which is why, her love for books has evolved so much over time.
She knew in her heart that the stump can be turned into something amazing and she was absolutely correct. We are so glad that someone thought of doing this! She had a clear intention of turning that tree into a library which would be accessible to all in her neighborhood. Isn’t she so profound?
She got support from a nonprofit organization, Little Free Library, to achieve her dream. There are 75,000 “Little Free Libraries” in 88 countries, all to their credit.
The library is designed in an incredible way and everyone loves it. Sharalee is very excited about this project and her Facebook post is pouring excitement as it says, “This tree won’t look amazing until spring when I can plant groundcover and cheerful perennials around it, touch up the paint, and fine-tune the trim work”.
Books are made to share and when you share, you enjoy reading the next one even more. Read one, share it with the neighbors and keep repeating this forever. Books ignite new beautiful relations and this library is doing exactly that!
